Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading solutions and services provider, has signed a long-term Technical Management Agreement with Harvey Gulf International Marine LLC (Harvey Gulf). This five-year agreement was signed in August 2014 and it covers Condition Based Maintenance and Dynamic Maintenance Planning for eight new offshore supply and multi-purpose support vessels - six liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled platform supply vessels and two offshore construction vessels powered by diesel fuel.

The signed agreement ensures ideal running conditions and optimized maintenance for Harvey Gulf's new vessels. It ensures that their engines - 18 Wärtsilä 34 dual-fuel engines and eight Wärtsilä 32 engines - always run at the optimal level, with optimized fuel economy and maintenance costs. Technical management is based on continuous condition monitoring data and periodical inspections.

The agreement also includes Online Remote Operational Support, which enables Wärtsilä's technical experts to support vessels in real time, without the need for engineers to travel to the vessels.

"Harvey Gulf's decision to become the leader in Clean Gulf of Mexico offshore operations has been enthusiastically accepted by oil company executives. And we are extending our partnership with Wärtsilä, through this Technical Management Agreement, to assure our new fleet of vessels are maintained to the highest standards of safety, reliability and availability," says Shane J. Guidry, CEO of Harvey Gulf.

"We are very pleased to expand our partnership with Harvey Gulf. This agreement reaffirms their commitment to the offshore oil and gas business in the Gulf of Mexico by adding safe and environmentally sustainable LNG fuelled vessels to their modern fleet. With this extended partnership, we will enable the safe and reliable operation of their offshore supply and multi-purpose support vessels throughout their lifecycle," says Walter Reggente, Service Director of Wärtsilä North America.

Condition Based Maintenance system brings flexibility to operations as maintenance intervals are optimized. The system enables feeding engine parameters into Wärtsilä's database, after which they are evaluated by specialists at the Condition Based Monitoring center. This enables early detection of performance issues, reduced downtime as well as optimized engine performance and fuel consumption. Knowing the actual condition of the engine allows the implementation of the Dynamic Maintenance Planning concept. This brings a significant opportunity to reduce operating costs by optimizing the timing of major overhauls and reducing the consumption of spare parts.

Wärtsilä ServicesWärtsilä is a global supplier of a full range of products, solutions and services for the marine industry. This capability is backed by the industry's most complete network of service and repair facilities with operations in more than 160 locations in nearly 70 countries with 11,000 employees. The company's Services & Support Business has the broadest offering in the industry. It ranges from basic support, installation and commissioning, performance optimization, upgrades, conversions and environmental solutions to service projects and agreements focusing on overall equipment performance and asset management.

Wärtsilä in briefWärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximizes the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2013, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.7 billion with approximately 18,700 employees. The company has operations in more than 200 locations in nearly 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland. www.wartsila.com Wärtsilä Newsroom

Harvey Gulf International Marine in brief

Founded in 1955, Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf International Marine is a marine transportation company that specializes in providing offshore supply and multi-purpose support vessels for deepwater operations in the US Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. http://harveygulf.com/

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This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.Source: Wärtsilä Oyj Abp via Globenewswire